Edward Nathan George Jr. (born September 24, 1973) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

coach and former player who is the current head coach at

Tennessee State Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenn ...

. He played as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL) for nine seasons, primarily for the

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

/ Tennessee Oilers / Titans franchise. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

and won the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

in 1995. He was drafted in the first round of the

1996 NFL Draft The 1996 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 20–21, 1996, at the Paramount ...

, and played professionally for the Tennessee Titans (both in Tennessee and in Houston when the franchise was known as the Houston Oilers) and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

. George was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011. Post-football, George earned an MBA from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Kellogg School of Management The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (also known as Kellogg) is the business school of Northwestern University, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1908, Kellogg is one of the oldest and most p ...

. In 2015, he guest starred on an IFC episode of the satirical talk-show '' Comedy Bang! Bang!'', titled "Eddie George Wears a Navy Suit and Half-Zip Pullover." In 2016, he appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in the musical ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

'' as the hustling lawyer Billy Flynn.

Early life

George was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. He played

Pop Warner football Pop Warner Little Scholars, commonly known simply as Pop Warner, is a nonprofit organization that provides activities such as American football, for over 425,000 youths aged 5 to 16 years old, in several nations. It is the largest youth footbal ...

for the Abington Raiders. He attended

Abington Senior High School Abington Senior High School is a three-year co-educational high school in Abington, Pennsylvania, United States. The school was a two-year high school known as Abington South Campus from September 1964 until June 1983. In September 1983, Abingt ...

until the tenth grade, and then transferred to

Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private, all-male, college preparatory military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in th ...

. George made the decision to stay at Fork Union Military Academy for a fifth prep school year or postgraduate year. Such choices are commonly made by high school football players hoping to improve their recruitment status with colleges, but for George, it meant another year of the rigorous military lifestyle. George rushed for 1,372 yards in his postgraduate season at FUMA, attracting the attention of several major colleges.

College career

George attended

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pub ...

, where he majored in landscape architecture and played for the

Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played their home games at Ohio Stadium i ...

team. As a freshman running back, George scored three rushing touchdowns in a win over

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy * Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' * Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

. However, he suffered a major setback in a game against

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

. In that game, George lost a fumble at the Illinois 4-yard line that was returned 96 yards for a touchdown. Later in the game, with Ohio State leading by 2 points in the final quarter, George fumbled again, this time on Illinois' 1-yard line. Illinois recovered the fumble and drove for the game-winning touchdown. Before the Illinois game, George had carried the ball 25 times and scored 5 touchdowns, but he had only 12 more rushing attempts and no more touchdowns for the rest of the year. In the following season, George was listed in the depth chart as the team's third-string running back, behind

Raymont Harris Raymont LaShawn Harris (born December 23, 1970) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Ohio State University. Harris played professionally for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) between 1994 a ...

. He carried the ball just 42 times, mostly when Ohio State had a large lead late in games, but showed his potential by averaging 5.3 yards per carry. As a junior, George became the team's starting running back and went on to rush for 1,442 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a senior in the 1995 season, George rushed for a school-record 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns, an average of 148.23 yards per game, while also catching 47 passes for 417 yards and another score (George only caught 16 passes in his first three seasons). One of his best performances of the year was in a 45–26 win over Notre Dame, where he rushed for 207 yards, his third 200-yard game of the season. He also rushed for a school-record 314 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in OSU's victory over

. In the 3 years after his 2 fumbles as a freshman, George had over 600 rushing attempts and fumbled only 6 times. Ohio State finished the season with an 11-2 record. George was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. He won the

in the closest vote in the history of the award at the time, beating

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

Tommie Frazier Tommie James Frazier Jr. (born July 16, 1974) is an American former football player and coach who played quarterback for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Frazier led his team to consecutive national championships in 1994 and 1995, and is ...

by 264 votes. George left Ohio State second in school history in career rushing yards (3,768) and third in rushing touchdowns (44). Overall, he finished with 4,284 all-purpose yards, 45 touchdowns, and a 5.5 yards per carry average.

College statistics

Professional career

George was the first-round draft selection (14th overall pick) of the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

(now the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

) in the 1996 NFL Draft, being selected after

Jerome Bettis Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. (born February 16, 1972) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "the Bus" for his large size and runn ...

elected to be traded to the rival

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

over the Oilers when the St. Louis Rams replaced Bettis with Lawrence Phillips. George won the

NFL Rookie of the Year award Various entities present a National Football League Rookie of the Year Award each season to the top rookie(s) in the National Football League (NFL). The NFL considers the (rookie) of the year awards by the Associated Press (AP) to be its officia ...

in 1996, and was the Oilers/Titans' starting tailback through 2003, never missing a start. He made the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

four consecutive years (1997–2000), and assisted the Titans to a championship appearance in

Super Bowl XXXIV Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis ...

, where they lost to the St. Louis Rams 23–16. George gained 391 combined rushing and receiving yards in the Titans' three playoff games that year and went on to rush for 95 yards, catching two passes for 35 yards, and score two touchdowns in the Super Bowl. George is only the second NFL running back to rush for 10,000 yards while never missing a start, joining

Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (born February 17, 1936) is a former American football player, sports analyst and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one ...

. Only

Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American football running back who played ...

(170) started more consecutive regular-season games than George's 130. Though George rushed for 1,000 yards in all but one season, numerous sportswriters suggested that a heavy workload caused a decline in George's productivity. In five of his eight seasons with the Titans, George carried the ball over 330 times. In 2001, George averaged just 2.98 per carry, the fourth lowest number in league history among running backs with more than 200 rushing attempts in a season. George's decline in production along with several toe and ankle injuries were contributing factors in Titans owner

Bud Adams Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. (January 3, 1923 – October 21, 2013) was an American businessman who was the founder and owner of the Tennessee Titans, a National Football League franchise. A member of the Cherokee Nation who originally mad ...

' decision to release him on July 21, 2004, in part due to

salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...

considerations, after George would not agree to a pay cut. On July 23, 2004, George signed a one-year contract with the

for $1.5 million-plus incentives that could have earned him more than the $4.25 million he would have made under his previous contract with the Titans. George only started 8 games for Dallas while rookie Julius Jones was out for two months with a fractured

scapula The scapula (plural scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on eith ...

. He became the backup running back when Jones returned midway through the season, finishing with 432 yards on 132 carries and 4 touchdowns. He officially retired in 2006. His career totals include 10,441 rushing yards, 268 receptions, 2,227 receiving yards, and 78 touchdowns (68 rushing and 10 receiving). In 2021, he became a semifinalist (of the 26-person Modern-Era list) for the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

, the first time he had made the stage since he was eligible.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Franchise records

's NFL off-season, Eddie George still held at least 28 Titans franchise records, including: * Most Rush Attempts (career): 2,733 * Most Rush Attempts (season): 403 (2000) * Most Rush Attempts (playoff career): 206 * Most Rush Attempts (playoff season): 108 (1999) * Most Rush Attempts (playoff game): 29 (2000-01-08 BUF) * Most Rush Attempts (rookie season): 335 (1996) * Most Rush Attempts (game, as a rookie): 28 (1996-12-01 @NYJ; tied with

Earl Campbell Earl Christian Campbell (born March 29, 1955), nicknamed "the Tyler Rose", is an American former professional football player who played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints. ...

) * Most Rush Yards (career): 10,009 * Most Rush Yards (playoff career): 776 * Most Rush Yards (playoff season): 449 (1999) * Most Rushing TDs (playoff season): 3 (1999; tied with

Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead
...

) * Most Rushing TDs (playoff game): 2 (2000-01-30 NSTL) * Most Rush Yds/Game (playoff career): 86.2 * Most Rush Yds/Game (playoff season): 112.2 (1999) * Most Total TDs (career): 74 * Most Total TDs (playoff season): 3 (1999; tied with

Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead
...

x2) * Most Yds from Scrimmage (career): 12,153 * Most Yds from Scrimmage (playoff career): 925 * Most Yds from Scrimmage (playoff season): 521 (1999) * Most Yds from Scrimmage (rookie season): 1,550 (1996) * Most All Purpose Yds (career): 12,154 * Most All Purpose Yds (playoff season): 521 (1999) * Most 100+ yard rushing games (playoffs): 2 * Most Games with 1+ TD scored (career): 59 * Most Games with 2+ TD scored (career): 17 (Tied with

) * Most Games with 3+ TD scored (season): 3 (2000) * Most 1000+ rushing yard seasons: 7

Coaching career

George was named the head coach at

on April 13, 2021. He signed a five-year deal that paid $400,000 annually.

Head coaching record

Personal life

On October 1, 2006, George was appointed spokesperson for Tennessee's GetFitTN program by Governor

Phil Bredesen Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. (born November 21, 1943) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in 2002 with 50.6% of the vote and ree ...

. The initiative is aimed at preventing

Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urinatio ...

and promotion of healthier, more active lifestyles. On Saturday, April 28, 2007, George ran the Country Music Half Marathon (ending just outside then LP Field, now Nissan Stadium) in an unofficial time of 2:04:08. He wore race number 27 during the race, just as he wore number 27 during his college and NFL careers. George later stated that completing the race was tougher than playing in the NFL. In 2008, George campaigned for

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

's presidential bid.Nick Timirao
Obama Looks to Score Big
''The Wall Street Journal'', February 27, 2008. After he retired from football, George went back to complete his bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from Ohio State. He later graduated from the Kellogg School of Management at

, earning his MBA degree from the Executive MBA program. In 2004, George married American singer, rapper, actress, and author Tamara "Taj" Johnson. She is best known for being a part of the group SWV (Sisters with Voices) and later being a contestant on the 18th season of the CBS reality show '' Survivor''. On the 12th episode, " The Ultimate Sacrifice", George surprised his wife, by visiting her on Exile Island. His other thespian credits include performances on

and in film. George's jersey was retired by the Titans during a halftime ceremony against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

on September 15, 2019, along with former teammate

Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead
...

who was killed in 2009. George also owns a restaurant in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

called Eddie George Bar and Grille 27.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:George, Eddie 1973 births Living people African-American businesspeople African-American coaches of American football African-American male actors African-American players of American football All-American college football players American Conference Pro Bowl players American football running backs American restaurateurs Big Ten Athlete of the Year winners Businesspeople from Philadelphia Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania College football announcers College Football Hall of Fame inductees Dallas Cowboys players Ed Block Courage Award recipients Heisman Trophy winners Houston Oilers players Kellogg School of Management alumni Male actors from Philadelphia Maxwell Award winners National Football League announcers National Football League Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winners National Football League players with retired numbers Ohio State Buckeyes football players People from Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Philadelphia Players of American football from Tennessee Sportspeople from Philadelphia Tennessee Oilers players Tennessee State Tigers football coaches Tennessee Titans players

Early life

College career

College statistics

Professional career

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Franchise records

Coaching career

Head coaching record

Personal life

See also

References

Further reading

External links